NYON   AND   BEYOND
its rivals were admitted to the Foreign Ornce to coll vet rh?
news, to state that the withdrawal of volunteers ik^:!:^!-:
was resolved by Italy's general acceptance 01" tht r.ritVrs
plan.
PoliakofF, the journalist to whom tin: Etc?:it:^ 5:.;';..;>'./
accredited its astonishing insight at this time, miuk- !r,v r.,i:r..
as a diplomatic correspondent in T/r^ Time? and ZXttV; 7V*Y-
gra-ph. He then joined up with Beuvtrrbrcok, and' mi^h:
perhaps be regarded as representing one r f I-kavcr>:x, ',k's
most ambitious excursions into the daily manotmres f i"
foreign policy. Whether PoliakofF was pledged to the t.r*k
of removing Eden from the Government it is «iirrku!t to ?a\
at present, but it seems that between November 1937 ar.»!
January 1938 his extensive influence and daily journalism did
little to assist the Foreign Secretary in his arduous tasks.
Poliakoff's coups were the sensation of Fleet Street, and his
connexions were widely discussed.
The first effort of the Evening Standard diplomatic
correspondent was on 25th October when he came out
with a story that Maisky had been ordered to sabotage the
Non-intervention Committee. * I understand that instruc-
tions have been received by M. Maisky ... to inform at an
opportune moment the Chairman of the Non-intervention
Committee (Lord Plymouth) and Mr. Anthony Eden that
Russia no longer considers herself bound by the obligation to
contribute to the funds of the Committee.'
On 5th November we were given to understand that * im-
portant Nazi moves are impending in Austria. Their result
may be a sudden increase in the grip which the Nazi element
already have in Austrian afiairs.* London"s information
apparently was that Ribbentrop's mission to Rome was to
ask the Duce's consent to expansion of Nazi influence in the
Austrian Government. * ... the anti-Communist facade of
the Italo-German pact now about to be signed in Rome is a
convenient cover for political development in Europe. The
position of Dr. Schuschnigg has become increasingly weak
355